


Mister Holiday Cheer

by ALittleWrath



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Should be read as platonic AND romantic, Ten is a Christmas baby, in this house we ship Ineffable TenDonna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21923887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALittleWrath/pseuds/ALittleWrath
Summary: Sylvia calls Donna home for Christmas, and the Doctor shares some of his past experiences.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor & Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor/Donna Noble
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	Mister Holiday Cheer

**Author's Note:**

> There was supposed to be WAY more of this but it's already Christmas so you get what you get and you don't get upset

"Alright, Donna Noble!" The Doctor shouts, pulling some obscure lever on the TARDIS console, "where to next?"

"Mums," says Donna. The Doctor does a double take.

Donna is holding her phone to her chest and looking fairly exasperated. If the Doctor had to hazard a guess, he'd say she's just gotten off the phone with one Sylvia Noble.

"What? Why?"

"Because while we weren't paying attention," Donna huffs, "Running around, going on trips and saving each others necks, it's become almost Christmas!"

The Doctor's brows shoot up.

"What, really? No!"

"Yes! And now it's two weeks out and mum wants me home for visiting family and.. Shopping, and, oh I just  _ hate  _ Christmas!"

"I know you do." The Doctor says plainly. Donna rolls her eyes.

"Oh, and you're mister 'Holiday Cheer' I suppose."

"I'll have you know-" The Doctor begins, but suddenly loses his gumption. His shoulders slump, and he stuffs his hands in his pocket, leaning heavily against the console. "Oh, who am I kidding, I always have a miserable time."

"And why's that?" Donna asks, shuffling to lean next to him. The Doctor folds his arms. "Figure  _ you  _ could spend it any way you like."

"Well I always  _ try  _ to celebrate!" He argues, "But then I wind up… comatose, or aboard a crashing ship or-" he glares pointedly at Donna, "Saddled with some ginger temp who's been captured by a giant spider!"

"Christmas on earth, right?" Donna asks, "And yet you haven't given up on it?"

"Well," the Doctor begins, then, much more quietly,  _ "it's my birthday. So." _

Donna pauses.

"What, seriously?" She asks, "No, you're having me on."

"No, really." The Doctor nods, looking stoically forward, "It's the day I… changed. Into me. So.."

Donna smiles softly, placing a comforting hand on the Doctor's forearm. She leans in slightly closer, and says,

"So you're a Christmas baby."

_ "Oh, get off!" _

"You are, you are, you're a little baby Bethlehem!"

The Doctor jerks out of her grasp, but Donna follows him around the TARDIS console.

"You're a little Rudolph fawn! You're a tinsel tot!"

"Okay, thank you Donna, I should've known not to tell you." The Doctor bites at her.

"Oh, you know I'm just taking the piss." Donna says, "But that's awful! You really never get to celebrate your own birthday?"

"Oh,  _ well," _ the Doctor scratches at his ear, "It never really used to be that important to me, I mean not  _ me  _ me, the other m- it's only since I changed that I've been  _ trying  _ to celebrate it, and it's only since I've been trying that I can't seem to!"

Donna remains quiet for another moment, then says, "Hold on, didn't you say you've only been, you know,  _ you  _ for a couple years? So does that mean when you killed all those giant spiders-" the Doctor winces, "It was like your second birthday?"

"... First." The Doctor clarifies with a pout. "I mean unless you count- I mean it was the second in the sense that I had been  _ born  _ already, but it was the first- I was  _ one." _

"You were  _ one."  _ Donna repeats incredulously.

"Okay, I'm all set!" Donna calls as she marches down the TARDIS corridor. It's the next morning- Donna had declared she needed a day to pack- and is now lugging a suitcase behind her on her way to the console room.

"Alright, setting a course for the Noble residence!" The Doctor calls, spinning some crank on the console, then violently flicking a lever. Donna grapples onto the closest available surface and holds tight, as the TARDIS bucks and rocks back and forth, throwing them side to side.

"Why is it," Donna cries out over the loud groaning of the TARDIS, "that a quick trip to my mum's is just as long and turbulent as flying three galaxies over!"

"Because we've just  _ come  _ from three galaxies over!"

They land with a jostle, and Donna straightens herself up, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Well, I suppose this is it…" the Doctor sighs, meandering toward her. Before she can turn to pick up her bags, his arms are around her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you, I'll see you after the holidays. Send Wilfred my best, obviously- just enjoy your time with your family. Happy Christmas."

Donna doesn't budge, for a moment, then pulls back.

"You're not coming with me?" She asks. Now it's the Doctors turn to pause.

"You want me to?" He asks, confused.

"Well  _ duh!" _ Donna shouts. "You  _ dumbo.  _ You think I'd go  _ without _ you?!"

"Oh… Donna I don't- I dunno…" the Doctor scratches his neck, "I just, you know I'm no good at that party… family… fraternising stuff, and besides Sylvia surely won't want me around, she just  _ hates  _ me!"

"So? It doesn't matter if she hates you!" Donna argues, "You're  _ part _ of the family! And you're my  _ partner!" _

The Doctor softens, feeling his heart swell in his chest. He starts to smile, trying to think of something to say to express his appreciation, but before he can speak Donna adds, "What  _ good  _ are you if you don't suffer through the holidays with me?" The Doctor balks, but Donna keeps going. "And anyway,  _ forget  _ mum! What's gotten into you?! You know gramps'll be heartbroken if you're not around for the holidays! He loves you more than  _ me!  _ Where's this coming from?"

_ "Aurgh,  _ I dunno…" the Doctor groans, awkwardly rubbing his cheek, "I suppose I always overthink this sort of thing…"

Donna pauses, then places a hand gently on the Doctor's arm.

"I don't just want you there to commiserate with, you know. I  _ hate  _ Christmas, but you know what I  _ don't  _ hate?"

"This feels like a trick question."

"Your birthday." Donna says confidently. The Doctor practically melts.

"Oh, Donna-"

"You're _ not  _ gonna spend it without me! Now look, forget all those other birthdays, the ones where you spent the whole day worrying about people who weren't yourself or you ended up mildly traumatised or you had to spend the day carting around a ginger temp in a wedding dress. I don't wanna celebrate Christmas, I wanna celebrate  _ you,  _ and by God I'm gonna give you the best, most special, most traditional birthday there's ever been, even if it kills me. We're gonna do _ all  _ the cliche birthday stuff! There'll be party hats, and you will get at _ least _ three presents, one from each of us,  _ including  _ mum, and you will blow out candles on a cake and make a wish! And you're gonna _ like  _ it!"

The Doctor smiles softly.

"Okay," he says. "You've convinced me."

"Good, cos it wasn't a question." Donna says, then, "Hang on, if you didn't know you were coming…  _ ooohh _ , does that mean you've not packed yet?"

"Oh, you know me! I don't really need anything other than…" the Doctor looks down at himself, assessing his crumpled brown suit. "..yeah, alright, I'll go throw a bag together."

He jumps across the grated floor toward the hall, but stops short.

"Donna?" He asks, popping his head out from behind a pillar.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean Wilf loves me more than he loves you, or that he loves me more than you love me?"

"Oh, get on!"

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at Chronic-Pain-Crowley


End file.
